Think before speaking
Added 4/23/2005
On viewing this film again I wish to add that I did a disservice to Anglam's portrayal of Byron. It is too subtle a performance for the merits of it to strike one immediately. On a second viewing one is left with the correct impression of Byron as a man plagued with doubts, who is aloof yet has moments of great generosity of spirit, and who in turn is equally capable of cruelty or kindness dependent on his mood.
A fine film, historically accurate and wonderfully portrayed by all concerned. A genuine unsung classic.
1 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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The Original Hippies
Added 12/17/2004
Haunted Summer is an amazingly obscure film given that it was so well filmed and acted. All four of the leading roles are spot on with historical knowledge and these actors show a true brilliance which allows the viewer to fall right into the summer of 1816. I can't help but ponder the similarities between the lives of many English romantic poets and the hippie culture of the late 1960's. This film is a true gem for many reasons, entertaining and far superior to "Gothic" which was fictional and dark. Someday we may all have the ability to own Haunted Summer on DVD, let's pray.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Total Crap
Added 7/27/2004
What a waste of time. Two hours of pretentious poets trying to outwit each other. If Lord Byron was as big of a jerk as he's made out to be in this waste of time, why would anyone spend 5 minutes, much less days with him. Gothic was entertaining at least. This was lousy. No redeeming value.
0 out of 18 people found this helpful.
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Shimmering and debauched
Added 6/5/2003
You can just feel the creativity spark and sizzle in this movie. It's the summer of 1816, and authors Lord Byron, Mary Godwin (later to be Mary Shelley) and Percy Shelley escape repressive England for Lake Geneva. That part is historically accurate, although how much of the rest is true, who knows? They have many discussions about life and art, use drugs medicinally and non-medicinally, cavort in the bedrooms, get frightened by a storm, and play mind games on each other. All this adds up to an ecstasy for creation, with a realization of the dark side of man's urge to control the natural world. Alice Krige is excellent, passionate and thoughtful as Mary Godwin, who got her inspiration for Frankenstein that summer. Her parents were early feminists and she definitely doesn't simper or believe herself inferior to the men. The scenery and costumes are all glorious and the other leads are good, including Eric Stoltz as Shelley, and Laura Dern as Byron's lover. ...P>I also loved how uninhibited these people were. They have many of the values that many in our society have today, but they lived almost 200 years ago. They loved to push the limits of man�s ability to experience life, all in the service of their art. I wouldn't want to live the way they did, but I'm glad they did, so they could report back to us in their poetry and stories what the "other side" is like. Our culture wouldn't be what it is today without the Romantic visionaries of the 19th century.
9 out of 9 people found this helpful.
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Inspirational Summer
Added 3/11/2002
This is one of the best films I have ever seen, and one few films I would love to own a copy of. I was amazed by the depth of these characters and the actors skill in portraying them. Frankly I was inspired and wanted to learn more. The very next day I went to the library and began to research information about Byron, Percy and Mary. After learning more about these poeple I felt that the director did a excellent job in capturing their true essence. Exposure to their lives and work has helped to improve my own. In the years following my first exposure to this film I have found it increasingly difficult to locate. If I could only find this in DVD my life would be complete and I would live happily ever after.
13 out of 13 people found this helpful.
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